.
wait for Maribel. She’s dropping Jessie off at the sitter’s.’
Molly led her back to an exam room, where her son sat on a table holding a nebulizer mask over his mouth and nose. Hurrying over to him, she leaned down and looked into his face. She raised her brows in the wordless question they’d devised to communicate during these times. He answered with a thumbs-up sign, although his breathing still sounded a little ragged to her ears. His color looked good, so Brad had told the truth about not wasting any time getting him here. She pressed her lips to his forehead, then checked the amount of medication remaining in the nebulizer cup. The treatment was about half-finished.
‘Did you talk to the doctor?’ She glanced at Molly, who was standing by the door.
Molly nodded. ‘It was serious…’ she glanced toward Toby as if unsure how much to say in front of him ‘… but manageable. They want to observe him for a couple of hours before they discharge him. They’ve got a call in to the pulmonologist, who should be here in a few minutes.’
‘I—I don’t know if Brad still has his inhaler. Can I get a new prescription just in case?’
‘I’m sure we’ve got some extras here at the hospital. I’ll give you one to take home with you. Albuterol, right?’
‘Yes.’ Sammi hopped up onto the bed beside Toby and put her arms around him, a surge of love and thankfulness going through her. She kissed the top of his head. ‘I’m going to leave in a minute or two to give Daddy a chance to see you, okay? He’s pretty worried.’
Toby pulled the mask down. ‘I want to go home.’
‘We will.’ She put her hand over his, steering the mask back into place. ‘As soon as the doctor says it’s safe. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.’
Molly touched her arm and nodded toward the door. ‘The doctor’s in the hall.’
‘I’m going with Aunt Molly for a minute. I’ll be right outside that door, if you need me.’ She gave him one last kiss and slid off the table.
Going into the hallway with Molly, she was able to speak with the doctor who’d treated her son. He assured her Toby was going to be fine. His breathing was already better, but they wanted to do a pulmonary function test as soon as he finished with the nebulizer.
Sammi smiled. ‘That’s Toby’s favorite part of any hospital visit.’ She sighed. ‘Actually, that’s the only part he likes. It’s like a challenge to see if he can beat his last set of results.’
‘It’s my favorite part too.’ Dr. Donnelly’s kind blue eyes twinkled, helping to reassure her. ‘Believe me, I want our buddy in there to ace that test as much as you do.’
‘Thanks for everything you’ve done. I’m going to run and get his father, okay?’
‘Of course,’ he answered.
Sammi wasn’t sure, but she thought she detected a hint of interest in the man’s look at her. The doctor was attractive enough, his dark, conservatively cut hair falling neatly over his forehead. Nothing like Mark’s slightly shaggy locks that seemed as loose and free as the rest of him.
Why had she thought of him, of all people?
Besides, despite her earlier thoughts about putting herself back on the market, now was not the time. Not with her son sitting in that room fighting for each breath. ‘I’ll go and get his father.’
She headed for the waiting room. Brad, his back to her, stood at one of the large windows, staring outside. Maribel had arrived and was leaning against him, whispering in his ear. Sammi hesitated before touching his arm. ‘You can see him now. He’s better.’
‘Thank God.’ He turned part way around and met her eyes. ‘I think I’ll keep an extra inhaler or two on hand from now on. Can you help me get them?’
‘I think that’s a great idea. Molly’s going to see if she can find a couple.’ She dropped her hand to her side. ‘Go ahead. He’s waiting for you.’
Brad and his wife walked away, pushing through the double doors that led to the various exam rooms. She stood there for a few moments, her arms wrapped around her waist, trying to convince herself things were going to be all right. It was a losing battle.
‘How is he?’ The sudden question raised the hair on her neck. Actually, it wasn’t the question itself but the familiar voice behind it. Low and mellow, the tone slid over her like warm honey.
Sammi whirled around to find Mark standing there, both hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. She could have sworn he wasn’t there a second ago. ‘How—? What are you doing—?’
‘I dropped off some clients this afternoon and was supposed to meet up with Blake later for drinks. He called my cell on his way to the hospital.’
So this was the friend Blake had mentioned meeting earlier. ‘He did? Why?’
‘He wanted to let me know he might be late.’ His jaw tightened. ‘Don’t worry. He wasn’t trying to invade your privacy.’
‘I didn’t think that.’
So what had she thought? That Mark wouldn’t care one way or the other what happened to her or her son? Yep. But trying to explain that in a way that didn’t sound bitter—or like she was stuck in some sad version of the past—was impossible. So she decided to answer his original question instead. ‘Toby’s better. Brad’s with him now.’
‘I know. I saw him when I came in.’
There’d never been any love lost between the two men, although she wasn’t quite sure why. In school they’d all run in different circles. She’d been a geek, while Mark had hung out with the rougher crowd. Brad had been firmly in the jock camp—the all-American-hero type. Her ex had always kind of looked down on Mark when they’d been kids. Maybe Mark had sensed that.
She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Did you see Blake? He should be here by now.’
‘He’s waiting for Molly in the cafeteria. We decided to cancel our plans.’
Uh-oh. She’d assumed he was killing time until Blake arrived. Maybe she should start looking for an exit. ‘Are you going back to the island tomorrow?’
‘If Toby is released by then.’
She blinked, not sure what that had to do with anything. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Are they planning to hold him overnight?’
Was she missing something? ‘No, just observe him for a couple more hours to make sure the attack is over.’
‘Good. We should be able to leave in the morning, then.’
‘We?’
Okay, there was something strange going on. Where exactly were they going?
‘I’m flying you back to the island.’
‘We bought round trip tickets for the ferry, we can…’
The words died in her throat when he took a step closer, brushing back a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid. ‘There’s no way in hell I’m letting you take that ferry back to the island. Not with Toby sick.’
His fingers were warm against her skin, and she wanted more than anything to lean into his palm, to hand over a tiny portion of her burden. But she didn’t dare. Mark had proved he could—and would—walk away without a backward glance. That’s not what she wanted for her son. He was already enamored with Mark as it was. Watching him pilot a plane would only make it worse. The thought made her stiffen against his touch. ‘We’ll be okay.’
‘You’re right. You will.’ His hand dropped to her shoulder. ‘Because you’re flying back with me. Both of you.’
Driving Toby and Sammi back to the hotel,